Gas-scrubber



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. MORAVA GAS SORUBBER.

No. 388,903. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

Unrran TAES An rrrcn.

W'ENSEL MORAVA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAS-SCRUBBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,903, dated September Application filed March 3, 1887.

Serial No. 229,502. (No model.)

To a-ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WnNsnL MORAVA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Scrubbers, which are fully described in the following specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide improved means for extracting ammonia and other impurities from coalgas, and it belongs to that class of devices which for that purpose take advantage of the fact that ammonia is readily absorbed by water in thin films; and it consists, essentially, of devices by which the greatest possible amount of surface carrying a film of water may be presented to the gas within the least possible compass and in such manner as to offer the least resistance to the passage of the gas through or over the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my device,having part of the outer shell broken away and certain parts within shown in axial section. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the line as an, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one compartment or section, several of which are joined together to constitute the entire structure shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal radial section of a portion of one of the reels or bobbins which form the water carrying surface. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of one of said reels or bobbins.

In general, my invention comprises a substant-ially-cylindrical case, preferably made up of sections or separable compartments, as I will hereinafter describe, through the axis of which extends a shaft driven by suitable mechanism exterior to said case, the shaft being journaled in stuffed journal-boxes in the two ends or heads of the case. Each section or compartment of the case contains a reel or bobbin of the structure which I will hereinafter describe, such reel being keyed fast to and revolved by the shaft. The several sections or compartments are separated by aunular diaphragms, through whose central aperture the shaft passes, leaving considerable space about it for the circulation of gas, as hereinafter described.

It will be observed that the end section A instead of having an annular diaphragm at the end, has a full head, a, closing the end of the case, and that the other end section, A, be sides having the annular diaphragm at one end, has the full head a." closing that end of the case.

Bis the shaft, driven by a gear-wheel, B, exterior to the case and journaled in stuffing boxes A A one at each end. Upon the shaft B there is keyed fast in position to revolve in each chamber formed between each' two consecutive diaphragms a double bobbin or reel. Each half of this bobbin is composed of ahub, O, a ribbed web, 0, and cross-arms 0 having at each end annular flanges G which are parallel, the flange at the same end of the crossarms being substantially a continuation of that web,and with it making a complete disk. The two'halves of each bobbin are secured together back to back, so that their ribbed webs are in contact, and are secured together by suitable bolts or rivets, thus forming a unitary structure which operates as integral. The enter annular flanges have their central aperture of the same diameter as the central aperture in the annular diaphragm A of the case. Said diaphragm A and flanges G are preferably provided with a boss or raised edge, which is faced up, so that as the bobbins revolve within the compartments formed by the diaphragms approximately tight junctions may exist where said faced flanges are in contact. Whatever space may by wear come to exist at this point will be practically sealed by the water film,which will constantly adhere to the adjacent surfaces.

It will. be noticed that the annular flanges of the bobbins, which, together with the central web, constitute continuous disks,are so formed that when the two halves of the bobbin are secured together an annular interval exists between t-he corresponding flanges of the two halves. The purpose of this is to allow space for the partitions A which are secured, respectively, in the middle of each chamber,and prevent the free interchange of water between the two parts of the ohamberin which the two sections of the bobbin respectively revolve. The purpose of this is to cause the degree of purity of the water in the successive chambers to correspond to the degree of purification which has taken place in the gas when it reaches the chambers, respectively, so that at all stages the water shall have power to absorb impurities from the gas presented to it. The partitions A may be omitted with no loss except of that advantage, and, so far as they relate to the circulation of the gas or have any function in connection with such circulation, said separated flanges may be considered as one and as forming simply a disk dividing between the two parts of the bobbin. Upon these bobbins I wind the wire D, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, in successive layers, which are separated by slats E, said slats being preferably placed in radial line with the spokes O, continuing this process until the bobbin is full; or I use wire-cloth cut the full width of the space between the flanges C and wound in like manner, with spacing-slats E inter posed at each successive coil, until the bobbin is full. I consider the wire and the wire-cloth substantially equivalents, but prefer the latter for the greater surface which it affords and the greater ease in applying and removing for cleaning. When the wire is used, I coil it in such manner as to leave more lateral space between successive turns at the inner or central part of the bobbin than toward the outer part, increasing thus the closeness of the coil as the diameter of the same increases; and in case I use the wire-cloth I use more openly-meshed cloth at the inner portion of each bobbin than toward the outer part, increasing thus the fineness or closeness of the web as I wind more onto the bobbin, and the diameter of the coil thereby increases.

The operation of this device is as follows: Water being admitted into the case and standing at such depth as approximately to cover the width of the annular flanges on the bobbins, as at the line 11 n in Fig. 1, rotary motion being given to the shaft B, the wire or wire-cloth coils on the bobbins revolving in the water will become thoroughly wetted. The gas, being now admitted through the induction-pipe A, passes through the central aperture in the first diaphragm A and thence into the center of the adjacent half of the first bobbin, from which it can only escape by passing upward or radially outward through the meshes of the wire or web on the bobbin. Having passed through this, it fills the annular space A outside the bobbin within the first section or compartment of the case A; and from this annular space there is no escape except by passing back toward the center of the said first bobbin through the meshes of wire or web coil which fills the second half of the bobbin into the central clear space of the same, from which it will pass in like manner into and through the second bobbin, and thus through the successive bobbins to the end of the case, and thence out through the eduction-pipe A passing in each instance in at the center and radially through the wetted coils to the periphery, and thence back through the wetted coils to the center. The

bobbins, being in constant revolution, and be ing, therefore, constantly freshly wetted, present constantly fresh surfaces of the absorbent film of water to the ammoniacharged gas. The water at the end at which the gas passes out, being water which has just entered, and is therefore the purest in the entire case cncounters the gas which has passed through all the preceding bobbins, and is therefore most nearly purified, but encountering the perfectly pure waterjust entering, it will still yield up its small remnant of ammonia thereto, whereas, if it should at that stage encounter water already heavily charged with ammonia, it might even reabsorb ammonia therefrom.

It is desirable that the resistance to the passage of the gas through the apparatus should be substantially constant and uniform at all parts of its course, for two reasons: first, because the fiow under given pressure can be no faster than that which such pressure will produce past the point of greatest resistance,and, second, a change of resistance, and consequently of local tension of the gas, is found to cause it to deposit its illuminating elements, causing diminution of its illuminating-power and clogging the apparatus. For this reason the abovedescribed structure is employed, viz: spacing the wire or mesh more openly in the coils nearer the center of the bobbin than toward the circumference. In order to produce the precise effect sought,the space in successive coils should be inversely proportional to the diameter of the coil. This effect may be produced by increasing the diameter of the wire and making the same number of turns of it, or by merely diminishing the width of the spaces,' and so increasing the number of turns made in each coil as the diameter increases. An apparatus for this purpose becomes clogged with impurities which it will gather from the gas and from the water. The form of this clogging will usually be an incrustation on the wire or web. In order to remove this and keep the apparatusin constantly efi'ective condition, each compartment of the case A is provided with an opening, a, through which the web or wire forming the coil upon the bobbin within that compartment may be withdrawn, being for that purpose wound upon a reel outside of the case, in which process of unwinding and rewinding the impurity forming an incrustation will usually be completely detached and the desired cleansing effected; but, if found necessary, it can be brushed as it is unwound from the bobbin. To rewind it, it is only necessary to give the shaft 13 proper rotary motion and so unwind the Web from the exterior temporary reel on the bobbin within the case.

In securing the halves of each bobbin together a provision may be made for such slight adjustment as may be necessary in order to makethe reels fit closely within their respective compartments of the case A and make gas-tightjunctions at the bosses on the diaphragms A and thelfianges O. This I do by providing screws 0, which are set through the IIS web 0' on one of the halves of the bobbin and against the surface of the like web on the other part, and providing also screws c", which pass through one web and are screwed into the other, and so fasten them together. By screwing the screws 0 farther through the web in which they are held, and at the same time slacking the clamping-screws o, the two halves of the bobbin or reel may be forced apart and its bosses on the flanges 0 made to fit the bosses on the diaphragins A as closely as desired.

I am aware of the device patented to \V. A. Simonds, June 21, 1864, Patent No. 43,264, and I do not wish to be understood as claiming anything shown in his said patent.

I claim- 1. In a gas-scrubbing machine, in combina tion with the case, a reel or bobbin inclosed in such case, and the waterholding fabric wound thereabout in circumferential coils,with intervals between the successive coils or layers, and removable by simply unwinding, substantially as set forth.

2. In a gas scrubbing machine, in combination with the case, woven-wire cloth or web, serving as the water-holding fabric, wound about a bobbin in circumferential coils radially successive and removable by simply unwinding, and suitable mechanism to revolve the bobbin about its axis, substantially as set forth.

3. In a gas-scrubbing machine, in combination with the case, a reel or bobbin inclosed in the case, a water holding fabric wound thereabout in circumferential layers, a circumiereutia-l series of strips unattached to the bobbin being interposed between each layer and the next succeeding layer, the several successive series of such strips containing each the same number of strips, each strip being in radial line with the corresponding strip of the preceding series, whereby said strips become arranged in radial piles and support the waterholding fabric in concentric layers, with intervals between the concentric layers, and render said fabric detachable from the bobbin by simply unwinding,substantially as set forth.

4. In a gasscrubbing machine, in combination with the case, woven-wire cloth or web, serving as the water-holding fabric, wound about the bobbin in circumferential layers radially successive and separated by successive series of strips, the strips of each series being applied at intervals in the circumference about each layer of the wine-cloth and being unattached to the bobbin, iheseveral successive series containing each the same number of strips, each strip being in radial line with the corresponding strip of the preceding series, and suitable mechanism to revolve the bobbin about its axis within the case, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with the case having compartments to which the gas is admitted about the center, the reels or bobbins and suitable mechanism to revolve them in such compartments, said reels or bobbins comprising each a disk continuous from the center to the periphery and of less diameter than the case, and the water holding fabric arranged in two masses, one on either side of such disk,whereby the gas entering the compartment atone side is compelled, in order to escape at the other side, to pass around the central disk by pass ing through one mass of wetted fabric while moving toward the periphery and through the other mass while moving back toward the center, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with the case having annular partitions, the reels or bobbins in the case and suitable mechanism to revolve them, said bobbins or reels comprising each a disk continuous from center to periphery, and lateral annular disks which revolve closely adjacent to the annular partitions of the case, and two masses of water holding fabric located, respectively, between the annular disks and the continuous disk, substantially as set forth.

7. In a gas-scrubbing machine, in combination, substantially as set forth, the case, the axial shaft therein, the water-holding fabric circumferentially wound on suitable supports connected to the shaft, the case having lateral apertures corresponding to the longitudinal position of the water-holding fabric, whereby such fabric may be withdrawn from the case by unwinding it from its supports and may be rewound on such supports within the case by revolving the shaft.

8. In a gas-scrubbing machine, the reels or bobbins having apertured waterholding fabric wound thereon in successive concentric layers or courses, with interspaces, the total extent of the apertures being substantially the same in each of the successive layers or courses, substantially as set forth.

9. In a gas-scrubbing machine, the bobbins having wire fabric wound thereon,with spaces between the successive courses, the inner courses having more open mesh than the enter, the fineness of the mesh increasing as the courses proceed from center to periphery, substantiall y as set forth.

10. In combination with the case having the annular diaphragms A the bobbins having the flanges 0 whose remote lateral surfaces are contiguous, respective] y, to theproximate lateral surfaces of consecutive diaphragms, said bobbins being made in halves, each half having one of the flanges C" and secured together by screws 0, the adjusting screws 0 set through the web of one of the halves against that of the other, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of February, A. D. 1887.

\VENSEL MORAVA. lVitnesses:

Guns. S. Burrron, FRANCES W. PARKER. 

